Saturday, May 5, 2012

After the bus tour we went to look for a special memorial. The policeman we asked at Waterloo Place didn’t seem to know it, but at least he showed us the direction to Carlton House Terrace where we easily found it. Actually, it is nothing more than a gravestone under a tree which says: “Giro – Ein treuer Begleiter! – London im Februar 1934 – Hoesch” (Giro – a faithful companion! – London in February 1934 – Hoesch). This marks the place where Giro, the dog of German Ambassador Dr. Leopold von Hoesch, was buried with full Nazi honours. More information about the monument and the former German (Nazi) Embassy building can be found on the About.com London Travel website.

Leaving the memorial we went down to The Mall and from there to Trafalgar Square. There we found the famous Olympic Games Countdown Clock. The clock on one side counts down to the Olpymics and the other side to the Paralympics. What I find interesting is that the symbol for the Paralympics looks much nicer than the one for the Olympics as it is more colourful. I wonder whether this is just a coincidence.

Our last destination for this day was the famous Abbey Road Crossing where the Beatles had crossed the street for a record cover. We took a Jubilee Line train to St. John’s Wood and then at first had a little trouble finding the right direction. However, it turned out that we just had to take the direction most people went, as we were not the only ones who wanted to visit the place ;)

The car drivers on Abbey Road had to be very patient, as so many people wanted to cross the street like the Beatles, even entire families and “boy bands” :)